1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to personal computers and, more specifically, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for interfacing with a personal computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Personal computers (PCs) are continuously becoming more prolific in homes as high power multimedia PCs continue to become more affordable. Home PCs are used for a variety of purposes, which include home business and educational purposes. With these typical home PC uses in mind, PCs have naturally been located in the home office or den. In addition to being used for home business or educational purposes, home PCs have also often been used for entertainment purposes, such as for example the playing of video games or the browsing of the world wide web.
Electronic entertainment at home is commonly centered around a home entertainment center, which is typically located in the living room or family room of a home. Home entertainment centers usually include a television (TV) and a home stereo. Accordingly, it is observed that the natural environment for people to "work" at home is in the den, while the natural environment for people to "play" or "relax" at home is in the family room.
Since the PC is commonly located in the den or office of a home, and is usually not located in the family room or living room where home entertainment is more natural, there have been prior art attempts to bring electronic entertainment solutions to the family rooms or living rooms of homes where the home entertainment centers are located. Some prior art solutions include low-cost set-top PCs, which typically include low end central processing units packaged in a consumer shell. These prior art solutions include video game consoles that generally use a TV to display video game graphics while playing a game. A problem with these types of prior art solutions is that the set-top PCs are generally low-cost items and are therefore limited in their use. For instance, the video game consoles are generally limited to playing video games and are typically incompatible with most home PCs that are usually located in the home office or den.
Thus, what is desired is a method and an apparatus for extending the use of a home PC from the home office or den into other rooms of the home, such as for example the family room or living room. Such a method and apparatus would enable a home PC located in a den to be connected to a TV and/or stereo of a home entertainment center located in a family room or a living room. Such a method and apparatus would provide a low-cost solution and would therefore be affordable to consumers. In addition, such a method and apparatus would provide wireless conductivity between the PC and the TV so as to eliminate the need for intrusive cabling or wiring throughout the home. With such a method and apparatus, a PC located in the den of a home can be interacted with from virtually any room in the home and therefore increase the usefulness of the PC.